Bung arrangement for beer barrels



00L 1967 w. D. RICHARDSON 3,343, 0

BUNG ARRANGEMENT FOR BEER BARRELS Filed Sept. 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i A 78 40 i I, 83 4/37.

:I H 5 )i f r r i I 90 94 I 92 90 n; 84 fnz/eniar 54/ I @Z/zkmfl fifcrdsm i? m Em 90 90 Oct. 24, 1967 w. D. RICHARDSON 3,348,720

BUNG ARRANGEMENT FOR BEER BARRELS Filed Sept. 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ina/6x507 United States Patent 3,348,720 BUNG ARRANGEMENT FOR BEER BARRELS William D. Richardson, Palos Heights, 111., assignor to Tuthill Pump Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 484,624 4 Claims. (Cl. 217-108) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a reusable sanitary bung for closing beer barrel bung holes, and involves a frustoconical body member having its larger end flanged for engagement with the barrel wall exterior about the bung opening, and that carries a resilient cup member which is received over its smaller end and overlies the body member up to its flange where the cup member is secured to the body against displacement longitudinally of the bung body member. The bung body member is provided with a plurality of laterally directed latch arms and a nut rotatable axially of the bung body member to cam the latch arms to extend from the body against the cup member side wall for latching the bung smaller end in place within the bung hole against the inside of the barrel wall. The nut is actuated by a turning tool to be inserted within an operating recess in the bung body member, and the nut includes a projection for distending the cup member to retract the latch arms when it is desired to remove the bung from the bung hole.

My invention relates to a bung arrangement for beer barrels, and more particularly, to a re-usable sanitary bung for beer barrel holes.

Heretofore beer barrel bungs have primarily taken the form of the well-known tapered wooden plug that is pressed into the conventional tapered bung hole to close the barrel after it has been filled.

This conventional bung has proved to be objectionable for a number of reasons. For instance, the sealing action it provides is unreliable, and the bung is usually destroyed or damaged on being removed, thus making it a single use item. Furthermore, it is diflicult to insure the desired cleanliness of the common wooden bungs, and as they are readily removed, pilfering and contamination of the barrel contents is a common problem.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a beer barrel bung arrangement that not only provides a reliable sealing action, but which may be readily removed Without being damaged and be available for re-use.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a sanitary bung arrangement that requires special though simplified tools to remove same so that removal of the bung can be accomplished only by those that have the special tools.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a bung arrangement that includes a special sealing arrangement for precluding leakage and insuring cleanliness, to provide a bung arrangement of the indicated type that is adapted for application to standard beer barrel bung holes, and to provide a bung arrangement that is economical of manufacture, convenient in use and readily adapted for wide variety of applications.

Other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the application drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of this invention shown applied to a beer barrel bung hole, with the barrel wall being shown in outline only, and illustrating the bung as it appears when locked in sealing engagement with the bung hole;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the bung of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1, but showing the bung arranged for insertion into the bung hole;

FIGURE 4 is -a view similar to that of FIGURES 1 and 3 but illustrating the bung positioned for removal from the bung hole after having been released from the position of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating a tool of a type appropriate for use in operating the bung arrangement of FIGURES 14;

FIGURE 6 is a plane view similar to that of FIGURE 1 but showing only the bung body member;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view substantially along line 77 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view taken along line 88 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view of a modified form of latch arm; and

FIGURE 10 is a plane view of the latch arm of FIG- URE 9.

However, it should be understood that the drawing illustrations are provided primarily to comply with the requirements of the Patent Code, and that the invention may have other specific embodiments that will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Reference numeral 10 of FIGURE 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention applied to tapered bung hole 12 formed in the wall structure 14 of a metallic beer barrel of the usual type that is now commonly used for supplying beer in bulk.

In the showing of FIGURE 1, the outer surface of the barrel is indicated at 16 and the inner surface of the barrel that confines the beer is indicated at 18.

The bung arrangement 10 comprises a body member 20 (see also FIGURES 6-8) formed from a suitable plastic such as the acetal resin product sold by Du Pont under the trademark Delrin. Body member 20 is provided with a pair of oppositely directed latch arms 22 actuated by a screw type actuator 24 to lock the bung within bung hole 12.

The body member 20 together with its latching arms 22 is received within the cup shaped seal member 26 that seals off all parts of the bung body 20 and its latch arms 22 from the contents of the barrel and provides a gasketing action within the hole 12.

The bung body 20 is formed with a bore 30 along its axial center which bore 30 is internally threaded to threadedly receive the externally threaded nut member 32 that forms actuator 24 and that carries a projecting portion or extension 34 which has formed thereon a frusto-conical camming surface 36 which cooperates with the tapered surfaces 38 formed on the inwardly directed ends 40 of the respective latch arms 22 to move the latch arms from the position of FIGURE 3 to the position of FIGURE 1 when the bung arrangement 10 is secured in place within the bung hole 12.

The outwardly extending or directed ends 42 of the respective latch arms 22 are formed with tapered camming surfaces 44 that are intended to exert the thrust forces on the cup member at the inner corner 46 of the bung hole that are indicated in FIGURE 1.

The projection 34 is proportioned so that when it is in its fully extended position with respect to the bore 30, it engages the bottom portion 48 of cup member 26 and distends it slightly, as indicated in FIGURE 4. In this position of the nut member 32, the latch arms are substantially fully withdrawn within the body 20, as is also indicated in FIGURE 4.

The respective latch arms 22 in the embodiment illustrated are two in number and are diametrically opposed, they being slidingly received in appropriate diametrically opposed openings 50 that are formed in the body member 20. They are formed from the same material as body member 20 but are recessed as at 51 to save material.

Body member 20 is formed with an annular rib or ridge 52 about its exterior frusto-conical surface 54, and located between the latch arms 22. and the larger end 56 of the body member, the latch arms 22 being received in the smaller end 58 of the body member.

Body member 20 is formed to define a laterally directed annular flange 60 in circumambient relation thereabout which engages against the outer surface 16 of the barrel and serves as an abutment opposing the inward drawing action on the bung that occur when the latch arms are moved from the position of FIGURE 3 to the position of FIGURE 1 on operating actuator 24. At the base of the annular flange 60 an annular groove 62 is formed in which an inwardly directed laterally extending flange portion 64 of the cup member rim 66 is lodge for the purpose of interlocking the cup member with the body member 20.

The body member 20 is formed with an access opening 70 leading to the bore 30 for purposes of inserting a suitable male type manipulating tool for turning nut 32. In the form shown, the head end 72 of the nut member is formed with a pair of spaced recesses 74 that are equally spaced on either side of the axis of rotation 76 ofthe nut member and are proportioned to receive correspondingly shaped and spaced prongs 78 on the end of a suitable tool member 80 that may be employed to turn the nut member 32.

Body 20 is also formed with a pair of spaced recesses or openings 81 that have the same curvature as the body member 20 and extend in concentric relation thereto, which are proportioned at their outer portions 85 to receive similarly shaped bifurcations or projections 84 that are formed in the end of a tubular manipulating tool member 83 that may be provided for the purpose of turning the bung arrangement 10 with respect to the barrel for purposes of loosening and withdrawing same. The openings 81 of body member 20 are entered through their ports 30 or mouths 86 and the ends 87 of openings 81 open into transversely extending openings 89 of the body member that lie between the two openings 81. Openings 81 are thus wider at their ends 87 than at their bases 91, thus defining internal shelf portions 88 at the level of the floor 93 of openings 89.

The bifurcations or projections 84 of the tubular member 83 in the form shown define rectilinear side edges or edge surfaces 90, alternate ones of which merge into the respective projections 92 of each of the bifurcations 84 that in turn define side edges of surfaces 94. It will be observed that the side edges or surfaces 90 of each bifurcation 84 are spaced from each other further than the side edge 94 of each bifurcation is spaced from the edge 90 opposite it, circumferentially of the tool 83, though the arcuate distance that separates the surfaces 94 of the respective bifurcations and their opposed surfaces 90 should exceed that of webs 95 which form the port or mouth ends 87 so that the tool member 83 may be applied to the body member 20 by having its bifurcations 84 inserted through the ports or mouths 86.

The tool elements 80 and 83 may be conveniently combined as shown in FIGURE to provide a single tool 97 for operating the bung arrangement 10. Thus, the tool member 80 serves as a handle for tool member 83, and the tool member 83 may serve as a handle for tool member 80.

In use, the component parts of the bung arrangement are assembled substantially in the manner indicated in FIGURE 3, with the nut member 32 being turned into bore 30 with the latch arms 22 being applied to their openings 50 in the manner indicated, fter whi h he cup member 26 is applied over the smaller end 26 of the body member 20 and has its flange portion 64 received in the body member annular groove 62.

To insert the bung arrangement in the bung hole 12, the tool shown in FIGURE 5 is employed to turn the nut member 32 to a position wherein the latch arms 22 will be substantially withdrawn within their openings 50 (see FIGURE 3). The bung arrangement 10 is then inserted into the bung hole 12 small end 26 first and pressed into place to seat flange 60 against the outer surface 16 of wall 14, after which the nutmember 32 is turned by using the tool of FIGURE 5 to extend the latch arms 22 to substantially the position shown in FIGURE 1, which directs the tapered surfaces 44 of the latch arms in the direction of the inner shoulder 46 of the bung hole, and since the surfaces 44 are shapedto diverge in a direction away from the body annular flange 60 laterally outward-- 1y of the body member 20, the body member 20 tends to be drawn further into the bung hole, which draws the annular rib or ridge 52 into firm engagement with the wall 49 of the cup member, and thus binds the cup member wall 49 into firm sealing relation with the bung hole 12 at this point of the bung hole. This tendency to draw the bung arrangement further into the bung hole on effecting the outward movement of latch arms 22 in the manner indicated in FIGURE 1 is opposed by the engagement of the body member annular flange 60 with the outer surface 16 of the barrel and the interlocking of the cap shaped seal member with the body member 20 adjacent the flange 60.

The bung arrangement 10 when placed in the sealing and locking relation indicatedin FIGURE 1 will remain in that condition indefinitely and will provide a complete sealing action about bung hole 12 as long as desired. It will also be observed that the contents of the barrel will have no access whatsoever to any of the internal parts of the bung arrangement 10.

When it is desired to remove the bung arrangement 10, a tool such as the one shown in FIGURE 5 is obtained, and the tool member is inserted within bore 30 through access opening 70 to apply the prong members 78 to the nut 32, and the nut 32 is turned in the direction required to move it from the position of FIGURE 1 through the position of FIGURE 3 to the position of FIGURE 4. In moving from the position of FIGURE 3 to the position of FIGURE 4, the extension or projection 34 of the nut member 32 engages the bottom wall 48 of the cup-shaped seal 28 and distends it somewhat, thereby tending to urge the latch arms 22 into full retraction so that they will not interfere with the inside corner 46 of the bung hole 12 on withdrawal.

The tool shown in FIGURE 5 is then manipulated to apply the bifurcations or projections 84 to openings 81, and then the tool member 83 i turned about its longitudinal axis in either direction about its longitudinal axis to break any binding engagement that the outer surface of the cup-shaped seal might have made with the bung hole 12. Tool member 83 is then formed about its axis in the direction required to position the projections 92 under webs 95, after which the tool is pulled outwardly of the bung hole to draw thebung arrangement 10out of the bung hole, this being possible as the shoulders 92 of the respective bifurcations or projections 84 will seat behind webs 95.

FIGURES 9 and 10 illustrate a modified form of latch arm 22A in which the tapered surface 44A is rounded to define a rounded latch arm end portion 101 that functions in the same manner as surface 44 of the latch arms 22.

It will be observed that the bung arrangement 10 is arranged for normal withdrawing manipulations without damage thereto, and that it may be readily reapplied to another barrel for sealing purposes if so desired. The outer surface 99 of the cup shaped seal member 28 is fully exposed for cleaning purposes, and as this is the only portion of the bung arrangement to have any contact with the inner barrel contents, the bung arrangement is thus readily made ready for sanitary reuse purposes.

It will also be observed that the internal location of the nut. 32 and the internal formation of the special tool openings 74 and 81 permit the use of tools of special configuration for operating the bung 10. The bung is thus so arranged that it cannot be opened by using ordinary tools, and consequently only those supplied with the tools such as that shown in FIGURE 5 will be in a position to remove the bung.

While the latch arms 22 or 22A should be located with respect to the flange 60 of the body member so that their surfaces 44 or 44A will be substantially aligned with the inner surface of wall 18 of the barrel, the indicated proportion of such surfaces 44 and of the length of body 20 relative to the thickness of wall 14 will accommodate adequate variations to allow for the usual wall thickness size tolerances found in this field.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein Without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A beer barrel bung comprising:

a frusto-conical body member having an annular laterally directed flange formed about its larger end,

a plurality of laterally directed latch arms mounted Within the smaller end of said body member for movement outwardly and inwardly of said body member,

means for extending said latch arms with respect to said body member to latch the bung within a barrel bung hole,

said body member being formed with an annular ridge thereabout intermediate said latch arms and said larger end thereof,

a resilient cup member received over said body member smaller end and overlying said body member including said latch arms up to said flange,

said cup member being secured to said body member adjacent the larger end of said body member, and

means for distending said cup member in a direction away from said body member smaller end and inwardly of the bung hole to retract said latch arms into said body for removing the bung from the bung hole.

2. The bung set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said latch arm extending means comprises a nut member mounted for movement axially of said bung body member,

said nut member being mounted within said body member and including a camming portion interposed between the inwardly directed ends of said latch arms,

said latch arm inner ends defining camming surfaces proportioned to engage in camming relation against said nut camming portion and be cammed outwardly of said body member on threading movement of said nut in the direction of said body member smaller end whereby the outer ends of said latch arms are moved outwardly beyond the projection of said body member against the biasing action of said cup memher.

3. The bung set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said body member is formed with an opening in its larger end for receiving a tool to turn said nut member,

and wherein said body member is formed with an opening in its smaller end in alignment with the path of movement of said nut member,

said nut member including a projection movable into said body smaller end opening for engaging said cup member to distend same and thereby aid in retracting said latch arms,

said body member smaller end opening and said nut member projection comprising said distending means.

4. A beer barrel bung for closing bung holes of beer barrel Walls, said bung comprising:

a frusto-conical body member having a length axially thereof that exceeds the thickness of the barrel wall,

a pair of oppositely directed latch arm's mounted Within the smaller end of said body member for movement laterally of said body member and positioned for substantial alignment with the inner surface of the barrel when the bung is applied to the bung hole,

said body member including an annular laterally directed flange about its larger end adapted to seat against the exterior surface of the barrel wall,

a resilient cup member received over said body member smaller end and overlying said body member including said latch arms up to said flange,

said body member being formed with an annular rib thereabout intermediate said latch arms and said flange,

means for interlocking the rim of said cup member with said body member adjacent said flange,

with the outer ends of said latch arms being formed on the sides thereof facing said body flange with camming surfaces diverging away from said flange laterally outwardly of said body member,

said body defining a bore extending axially thereof,

a nut member threadedly mounted in said bore for movement axially of said body member,

said nut member including a camming portion interposed between the inwardly directed ends of said latch arms,

said latch arm inner ends and said nut camming portion defining engaging camming surfaces proportioned to cam said latch arms outwardly of said body member on threading movement of said nut in the direction of said body member larger end whereby said outer ends of said latch arms are moved outwardly beyond the projection of said body member against the biasing action of 'said cup member,

said nut member including a projection movable into engagement with said cup member at the mid portion of said body member smaller end on movement of said nut member in the direction of said body member smaller end to distend said cup member against said outer ends of said arms and thereby aid in retracting said arms.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1886 Jackson 217-109 5/1899 Dies et al. 217109 7/1899 Clayton 217l08 9/1914 Tackney 217109 10/1937 Vanderhoof 21554 

1. A BEER BARREL BUNG COMPRISING: A FRUSTO-CONICAL BODY MEMBER HAVING AN ANNULAR LATERALLY DIRECTED FLANGE FORMED ABOUT ITS LARGER END, A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY DIRECTED LATCH ARMS MOUNTED WITHIN THE SMALLER END OF SAID BODY MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT OUTWARDLY AND INWARDLY OF SAID BODY MEMBER, MEANS FOR EXTENDING SAID LATCH ARMS WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY MEMBER TO LATCH THE BUNG WITHIN A BARREL BUNG HOLE, SAID BODY MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH AN ANNULAR RIDGE THEREABOUT INTERMEDIATE SAID LATCH ARMS AND SAID LARGER END THEREOF, A RESILIENT CUP MEMBER RECEIVED OVER SAID BODY MEMBER SMALLER END AND OVERLYING SAID BODY MEMBER INCLUDING SAID LATCH ARMS UP TO SAID FLANGE, SAID CUP MEMBER BEING SECURED TO SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT THE LARGER END OF SAID BODY MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR DISTENDING SAID CUP MEMBER IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID BODY MEMBER SMALLER END AND INWARDLY OF THE BUNG HOLE TO RETRACT SAID LATCH ARMS INTO SIAD BODY FOR REMOVING THE BUNG FROM THE BUNG HOLE. 